CHAPTER 8:

STAFFING
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Staffing
Staffing
Process of recruiting & selecting prospective employees Has significant impact on organizations bottom line
Requires staffing process to become strategically focused

Recruitment & selection activities offer organization numerous choices to find & select new employees Staffing decisions need to ensure employees fit organizations culture
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Recruiting
Temporary versus permanent employees
Increase headcount temporarily or permanently should be strategically-driven Basis for decisions is HR forecast Temporary employees less costly Temporary headcount increases can be obtained from specialized agencies Headcount increases can be avoided by subcontracting work
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Advantages & Disadvantages of Internal & External Recruiting

Exhibit 8-1

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Recruiting
When & how extensively to recruit
When do recruiting efforts need to begin? How large an applicant pool needed? Data from past recruiting efforts utilized To answer questions where feasible Adjust for changed conditions

Yield ratios
Offer information on how many applicants eliminated/remain at each step in recruitment process Can determine proper or necessary size of applicant pool
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Recruiting Pyramid

Exhibit 8-2

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Recruiting Timeline

Exhibit 8-3

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Methods of Recruiting
Informally or formally Internally or externally Targeted advertising in selected media Recruiting on Internet Outsourcing to staffing agencies Private Industry Councils (PICs) Executive search firms On-campus recruiting
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Recruiting on Internet
One of fastest-growing recruitment methods More cost-effective than newspaper advertising Low cost, speed, & ability to target applicants with technical skills Allows applicants to assess interests & needs with employers offerings Global exposure to potential applicants Can cut search process time by as much as 75%

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Recruiting on Internet
Some potential challenges
Ensuring security Viruses Access to unauthorized areas Disparate impact against certain protected classes Can complicate reporting of data related to compliance with federal & state laws
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Selection Process Issues

Reliability
Consistency of measurement Screening criteria should elicit same results in repeated trials across time & evaluators Reliability influenced by criterion deficiency & contamination errors Reliability is prerequisite for validity

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Selection Process Issues

Validity
Degree to which what is assessed is related to actual performance Ability to establish job-related validity is crucial to employers in defending themselves in discrimination allegations Content validity illustrates that measure or criterion is representative of actual job content or knowledge Criterion (empirical) validity demonstrated by relationship between screening criteria & job performance

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Interviewing Process Issues

Who should be involved?
Prospective supervisors, peers, subordinates

Which interview format?

Individual or group interviews

Common interviewer errors

Similarity errors Contrast errors First impression Halo errors Personal biases
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Behavioral Interviewing
Used with experienced & inexperienced applicants Asks about situations candidate is likely to face on job Candidates can present real-life situations they were involved in & how they handled them

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Testing
Work sample tests
Ask applicant to complete representative sample of actual work

Trainability tests
Measure
Aptitude in certain areas Ability to understand critical job components that firm will teach new hires

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Testing
Realistic job previews
Make applicants aware of both positive & negative aspects of job Decrease likelihood new employee will become dissatisfied Increase likelihood of candidates self-selecting out of position

Personality testing is useful in anticipating how applicants are likely to behave

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The Big Five Personality Dimensions

Personality Dimension 1) Extraversion 2) Agreeableness 3) Conscientiousness 4) Emotional stability 5) Openness to experience Characteristics of Person Scoring Positively on Dimension Outgoing, talkative, social, assertive Trusting, good-natured, cooperative, soft-hearted Dependable, responsible, achievement-oriented, persistent Relaxed, secure, unworried Intellectual, imaginative, curious, broad-minded

Exhibit 8-4

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Other Testing Methods

Personality testing
Useful to anticipate how applicants likely to behave Few, if any, jobs require specific personality type Have been successfully challenged in court

Physical testing
Restricted under ADA to testing only for specific critical job-related physical performance requirements

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Other Testing Methods

Honesty testing
Declined since passage of Polygraph Protection Act in 1988

Drug testing
Challenged in courts as invasion of privacy

References
Little information available due to former employer fears of liability for libel, slander & defamation

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Selection for International Assignments

Reasons for failure on international assignments
Interpersonal & acculturation abilities Rarely technical skills

Test employees adaptability, openmindedness, ability to tolerate uncertainty & ambiguity & independence Interview & screen family members who would accompany employee
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Strategic Issues in Staffing

Exhibit 8-4

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Hiring for Organization, Not Job

New model of selection geared toward hiring whole person who fits into organizations culture Strong situation
Intensity of situation suppresses variation in behavior attributable to person

Reading 8.1

Weak situation
Allows range of employee responses to work requirements

In organizations that are weak situations

More important to do good job of hiring right people
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Hiring Process for Person-Organization Fit

Assess overall work environment
Job analysis Organizational analysis

Reading 8.1

Infer type of person required

Technical knowledge, skills & abilities Social skills Personal needs, values & interests Personality traits

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Hiring Process for Person-Organization Fit

Design rites of passage for organization entry that allow both organization and applicant to assess their fit
Tests of cognitive, motor & interpersonal abilities Interviews by potential coworkers & others Personality tests Realistic job previews, including work samples

Reading 8.1

Reinforce person-organization fit at work

Reinforce skills & knowledge through task design & training Reinforce personal orientation through organization design
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Potential Benefits & Problems with Hiring for Person-Organization Fit

Potential benefits
More favorable employee attitudes More desirable individual behaviors Reinforcement of organizational design

Reading 8.1

Potential problems
Greater investment of resources in hiring process Relatively undeveloped & unproven supporting selection technology May be difficult to use full model where payoffs are greatest Lack of organizational adaptation
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Reasons for Expatriate Early Departure

Not performing job effectively Received other, more rewarding offer (other co.) Expatriate or family not adjusting Expatriate or family missing home Received more rewarding offer (current co.) Unable to adjust to deprived living standards Concerned with problems of safety & health Believed childrens education was suffering Feared assignment would slow career advance Spouse wanted career Compensation package inadequate 48.4% 43.7% 36.6% 31.0% 17.2% 10.3% 10.3% 7.1% 7.1% 6.1% 0.0%
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Reading 8.2

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Frequently Mentioned Obstacles to Global Staffing System

Legal requirements across countries/regions Education system across countries/regions Economic conditions across countries/regions Ability to acquire & use technology Labor market variations Value differences across cultures Availability of off-the-shelf translated tools
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Reading 8.3

Level of HR experience varies across regions Role of HR in hiring varies across regions Familiarity with a tool or practice varies Misperceptions that something is a cultural difference Limited local resources for implementation Beliefs about whether a global system is US-centric or imposed
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Frequently Mentioned Benefits to Global Staffing System

Global database of qualified talent Quick identification of candidates to meet needs of specific location Provision of consistent message about company to candidates worldwide Quality of all hires is ensured Better understanding of country/regional needs by all HR Global succession planning is enabled Global HR personnel have access to the latest versions of products/tools Shared vision of HR globally Comparisons of staffing results across locations Global database as internal benchmark of achievement in different parts of world

Reading 8.3

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